1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for neutralizing organophosphorus agricultural chemicals. More particularly, the organophosphorus agricultural chemicals are passed through a processing pathway, such as a pesticide dispenser or chicken waste collector, after which an agricultural chemical neutralizer is processed through the processing pathway. Most particularly, the agricultural chemical neutralizer is metered through the processing pathway in a manner to replicate the flow of the organophosphorus agricultural chemicals therethrough. The agricultural chemical neutralizer preferably includes a quaternary ammonium complex (QAC), an oxidizer and solvent for effectively neutralizing the contaminant residual or concentrated organophosphorus agricultural chemicals.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Organophosphorus agricultural chemicals include pesticides having a phosphorus atom double bonded to either an oxygen or sulfur atom, such as diazinon, malathion, paraoxon, dichlorovos and methamidophos. Organophosphorus agricultural chemicals also include animal waste, such as poultry feces, which contaminate waterways, killing fish close to agricultural centers. Heretofore, methods of eliminating safety hazards from high concentrations of these organophosphorus agricultural chemicals have included flushing or rinsing the contaminated areas with large amounts of water to dilute the chemicals which has been increasingly shown to deleteriously affect large ecosystems over extended periods of time.
Neutralization of chemical and biological warfare agents has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,089 entitled Chemical Warfare Agent Decontaminant Solution Using Quaternary Ammonium Complexes, issued on Jun. 2, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,064 entitled Chemical Warfare Agent Decontamination Solution, issued on Jan. 12, 1999, both patents to Donald T. Cronce and assigned to the United States Navy, and in pending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/533,954, entitled Chemical Warfare Agent Decontamination Foaming Composition and Method, filed on Mar. 22, 2000, to Donald T. Cronce and assigned to the United States Navy, the disclosures of the patents and application are incorporated herein by reference. Within the issued patents the chemical warfare agent decontaminating solution is described as applicable to neutralizing organophosphorus agricultural chemicals in a manner equivalent to neutralization of chemical warfare agents, generally over large or unconfined areas of contamination.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method for neutralizing concentrated and residue organophosphorus agricultural chemicals that contaminate limited areas in an effective and safe manner. The present invention addresses this and other needs.